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Monday, June 15, 2015

From the readers: Rover Boys, stamps, school memories and more

It's time for another "mailbag" from the home office in York, Pennsylvania. As always, these are actual comments from actual readers of Papergreat. (If I was making them up, that would be just about the saddest thing ever, don't you think?)

Sharon writes: "Has anyone found where to redeem their stamp books? Really interested. Would love to know. I ended up on this site because I was researching an ancient looking Cynthia Mills mending thread pack I found in my Aunt Margie's sewing stuff. It dates back to the '30s or 40s. I am amazed at how old this stuff has gotten in my lifetime. About 30 years ago, I would have thrown things like this away. Now I treasure them."

Anonymous writes: "I just acquired 15 books of Top Value stamps and I cant find where to redeem them. Green stamps wont accept them. Any ideas?"

There are probably people out there with more information and, if so, please add a note in the Comments below or email me at chrisottopa@gmail.com. Here's what I know. The most popular kind of trading stamps, S&H Green Stamps, can still be redeemed, for greenpoints. For a time, S&H also gave out greenpoints for Top Value stamps, but ceased that practice in 2010.

I am not aware of any current company that redeems Top Value stamps. If you want a make a few bucks (literally) off them, however, one suggestion would be to sell them on eBay, as some people collect them. (People collecting old paper — imagine that!)

The Rover Boys at Big Horn Ranch: Angela Kenney writes: "I have a hardback copy of The Rover Boys at Big Horn Ranch. Do you know how I can find out the value of this book?"

We would need to know the book's condition and whether the dust jacket is still intact and what condition it's in. This is not, however, considered a rare volume. If there's no dust jacket, I'm guessing the most the book is worth is about $5. If it has an original dust jacket that's in nice condition, my guess is that it could increase the value to $20 to $30, but you might want to take it to a dealer who specializes in these kind of books.

1953 envelope from the Around-The-World Shoppers Club: Anonymous writes: "My mother belonged to that club. She got some AMAZING gifts, some of which I still have! One was a little perfume bottle, blue glass with silver overlay and a small funnel — perfume was inside. I often see it on eBay or in antique stores. I also remember a small blue Delft lamp from Holland. I wondered what had happened to the club. Thanks for the info!"

Peeking inside a circa-1940 Shippensburg High gradebook: An anonymous commenter wrote: "Just found this totally randomly while looking for a picture of the now-demolished school, which is where I went to JHS (a new high school had been built by then). Some 17 years after this gradebook was in use, Dr. Jack Hargleroad delivered me at Chambersburg Hospital. His classmate Dorothy Hubley was my elementary school principal, and several other people listed above were friends of my parents, who moved to town in the 50's and were professors at what is now Shippensburg University. Thanks for posting!"

A few hours later, the same commenter returned with additional information: "My sister just sent me a ref showing that 'Paggy' Wise's (nee Hargleroad) real first name was 'Pague.' I knew her as a JHS PE teacher and had always assumed it was 'Peg.' A quick check of a US first-names site lists just one living person with that first name."

I'm so happy when people find Papergreat posts through search and stumble upon a piece of their past. This commenter has added to the discussion/history with the information about Paggy/Pague. I would have never guessed that Pague was a first name. Sadly, I can also add that Pague Hargleroad Wise died in 2003 at age 79. Here's the obituary.

Snazzy 1960s postcard of a historic Chicago hotel: Anonymous writes: "Hi, I have a copy of this postcard. You can see it here http://rocksandtime.blogspot.com/ The card is used and the message is interesting. Yoshi is was in Chicago and is traveling to LA, San Francisco and then Hawaii and Japan. He mailed it to a woman in Cincinnati and used a West Virginia stamp. I am fascinated by these little time travelers. Thanks for your interesting blog."

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About the Author

I'm Chris Otto, a Pennsylvania resident and journalist whose hobbies and interests include old books, ephemera, history, folklore, alpacas, photography and much more. Never stop reading, learning and asking questions! I consider this blog to be a spiritual descendant of Microsoft Encarta and a companion to Wikipedia. Every piece of paper tells a story.
Reach me at chrisottopa (at) gmail.com.

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Papergreat was mentioned in Stephanie Clifford's August 7, 2011, article in The New York Times titled "Shopper Receipts Join Paperless Age." Find out why, years ago, I held onto a receipt for a hot dog!

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